Using CD like a floppy

[raguvun]

Can anybody tell me how to make a c.d. disc work like a floopy. By this I mean while I am working on my harddrive ie using excel etc, I am saving the work on the harddrive I also want to save it on a c.d. and carry on rewriting on to the cd as I save. I am using a read write cd disc and have a cd writer on the computer.

Any help?

[Gard]

The Cd would have to be a CD-RW. Then you would be able to save to the disk and each time you would have to go through the process of writing the files to cd. I believe it would have to be written as a data disc. Hope that helps.

[Mobius1]

As mentioned, you will require a CD-RW disc (rewritable). The method of using a CD-RW like a Floppy Disk is called "Mount Rainier" technique.

You will need a CD Writing software program and a CD ReWriter drive that both support Mt Rainier. I believe that Roxio CD Creator has this option, though I'm not sure about others (the packages should mention this when purchasing them). The CD-RW then needs to be mounted into that format, and it is then recognised as a form of read/write removable storage.

It is worth noting though that using this from of saving is somewhat slow, as the disc needs to spin up, write/erase the file you're updating and then spin back down again to complete the procedure. It's faster than having to keep making a CD with the same but updated data on it though.

[spiceskull]

Instead of using a CD, you could try getting a USB data stick. They are a lot more flexible, and portable, and probably a lot better all round.